Planting Calendula Seeds

I have been wanting to plant calendula for a while, so I decided to stop procrastinating and I did it today!

Calendula has got a host of wonderful benefits, such as being anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiseptic.  I hope to use it in lotions, balms, and salves.

It is kind of late in the season to plant in the ground, but for 10 cents per seed pack, what do I have to lose?  Calendula is an annual, but it seeds itself.  Next spring, I will plant a lot more seeds directly into the ground, but I didn't want to wait that long so I planted them in containers today.  I hope they grow big enough that I can then transplant them for the rest of the growing season.

Check back soon for updates.  In the meantime, check out this slideshow:

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Paix.

                                           Amour.

                                                                                     Calendula officinalis.

Handmade Organic Lotion Bars

I tried my hand at something new today:  handmade organic lotion bars.

I got the idea from a Pinterest photo and decided to try it myself.  The concept is really quite simple. I used an equal mixture of beeswax, shea butter, and sweet almond oil, then I added some tea tree essential oil, et voilà.

Handmade Organic Lotion Bars.  I used a silicone mold to be able to remove the bars easily.  I put the hot mixture into the fridge and checked every ten minutes.

First 10-minute check

Second 10-minute check; they look done, but I could tell they weren't quite ready to come out yet.

I took them out after 30 minutes and I took the final product pictures.

However, I think they should perhaps stay in the fridge a little longer to begin with because they were pretty slippery when I was taking photos.  I put them back in after the photo shoot and I think they are hardening up as I write.

I used tea tree oil because I had it on hand and because I thought it would be a good oil to keep bugs away.  I hope to make more bars using other great natural insect repellents such as citronella, lavender, and peppermint oil. Check back again to see another batch coming at you soon.

Thank you for reading.

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Peace.

                Love.

                              Tea Tree Oil.